Apps ease test and measurement tasks on all levels

MANHASSET, NY -- Testing has become a world of applications one can access and use from fixed and mobile devices to control the testing environment in both large enterprise settings as well as in local engineering labs.

On the mobile front National Instruments announced multiple mobile applications for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The LabVIEW software- and NI hardware-compatible mobile apps bring the following features to the testing environment: engineers can use Data Dashboard for LabVIEW and Data Dashboard Mobile for LabVIEW apps to visualize measurement data using smartphone and tablet devices. As well, the NI cDAQ-9191 Data Display app offers direct connectivity to wireless NI CompactDAQ hardware for portable measurements

What's more, engineers can directly connect wireless NI CompactDAQ hardware to iOS and Android devices using new technology featured on the company’s NI Labs site.

They can also configure, visualize and save measurements without a PC or tethered display and program custom apps that connect to NI CompactDAQ devices with the cDAQ-9191 Web API.

“Smartphones and tablets are game-changers for the test and measurement industry,” said Ray Almgren, NI vice president of product marketing core platforms, in a statement. “These new apps combine the portability of mobile devices with the power of LabVIEW, helping engineers increase their productivity and meet the latest application challenges.”

The company claims that with TestShell 4.7 the typical set-up time for test instruments can be accelerated from three days to just 20 minutes using the latest TestShell software.

Customizable commands can be launched directly from the active topology diagram and time consuming provisioning tasks are activated using automated commands directly from the diagram on the TestShell screen.

For instance, power distribution units can be turned on and off directly from the topology. An embedded Layer 1 switch control also simplifies adding analyzers to planned or active topologies to understand connection issues. For instance, users can drag tapping lines between the transmitter and sniffer similar to how they can drag the lines to define connectivity between devices. Engineers can control web applications on all the major browsers including Chrome, Safari (5.0 and higher), Firefox 8 and Internet Explorer 9.

“The TestShell Framework enables an increase in equipment utilization, lab performance and significant test performance,” said Eitan Lavie, vice president of product management and marketing at QualiSystems, in a statement. A demo video is available.

Always been a LabVIEW fan. Certainly todays phones are faster than early 90's macs and pcs. With USB based instruments, I figure it's only a a matter of time before we can download "LabView lite" for $5 on our smartphones.